Yawning Man
Yawning Man is an American experimental rock band from La Quinta, California. The band originally formed in 1986 not long after the dissolution of the original desert rock band Across The River. However the band never composed a single studio album until 2005, nearly twenty years after forming. They have been noted to be one of the first influential bands in the desert rock scene, being an inspiration on not just bands within the Desert Rock scene such as Kyuss, Queens of the Stone Age, Fu Manchu and Masters of Reality to scratch the surface but stoner and instrumental bands all around the world, Sons of Alpha Centauri and Karma To Burn being examples. Their music can be categorized as experimental rock and largely instrumental, often looping into freeform jazz, latin, dark psychedelic and heavy rock influences. However some songs do have vocals, notably "Catamaran" as covered by Kyuss on their 1995 album ...And The Circus Leaves Town. Since their formation, Yawning Man has released four studio albums and a host of other releases, including two demo tapes recorded in the band's original run in the 1980s. Upon releasing said albums the band became more of a worldwide touring unit, performing all over the world since then. The band was founded by Gary Arce and Alfredo Hernández, with Mario Lalli joining soon thereafter. The name of Yawning Man comes from a character from the Tom Thumb series, notably the character who would put the other toys to sleep. History The Birth of Sol: Birth and Influence (1984 - 2002) Yawning Man was born in 1986, founded by Gary Arce and Alfredo Hernández, both of whom were unemployed at the time and just jamming together. Eventually Mario Lalli would join on bass and Larry Lalli would join as a second guitarist. Previously Hernández, Lalli and Arce had played in a hardcore punk band called The Breed before Lalli and Hernández would form Across The River.The Sludgelord At this time, the band started to play marathon jams from the garage to the desert. The word spread of these "generator parties" and large crowds began to show up. One of their earliest known gigs was alongside Saint Vitus and Always August.Noisey.Vice Their music heavily influenced the likes of John Garcia, Josh Homme, and Brant Bjork (who would later form the legendary stoner rock band Kyuss) to name only a few. According to a 2005 interview with Stonerrock.com, Arce stated that the band only ever performed in the desert with exception to one live performance at the Anti-Club in Los Angeles./ Stonerrock.com via Wayback Machine In an interview with L.A. Weekly, Brant Bjork would speak positively of the early days of Yawning Man: From 1986 - 1987 roughly 30 - 40 songs were recorded on two different demos but no official Yawning Man album ever came to light at the time. In the late eighties Yawning Man's sound began to mutate into strange loops with an almost dark / freeform jazz punk sound, and the name of the band just didn't fit the music anymore. The band changed name to The Sort Of Quartet and in the mid 90's released three albums on SST Records and one on German label Hot Wax Crippled Dick. Also during this time the Lalli cousins achieved recognition with their band Fatso Jetson, which briefly included Arce. Another project would also form at the time known as Ten East but through most of the 90s Yawning Man's status was relatively unknown. Notably when Alfredo joined Kyuss the band would record "Catamaran" for their fourth (and final) album ...And The Circus Leaves Town, exposing many listeners to Yawning Man and a band Kyuss were heavily influenced by. Rock Formations and Pot Head (2003 - 2009) In September 2003 Yawning Man would return to the live stage with a four-date tour of California alongside Brant Bjork. Their sound further involved into instrumental desert rock, also blending surf, Middle Eastern sounds and folk. Thus the lineup of Hernández, Lalli and Arce would begin recording their first studio album nearly twenty years after the band had formed. A collection of 10 tracks recorded in late 2004 and described as "a melancholic mix of acoustic space rock with elements of surf music, as well as middle eastern guitar style", Yawning Man's debut album Rock Formations was released via Spanish label Alone Records on 7 March 2005./ Stonerrock.com via Wayback Machine A release party was held at The Scene Bar in Glendale, California on 4 March 2005. Rock Formations would be praised by critics at the time but even more heavily praised retroactively./ Cosmic LavaSputnik MusicThe Obelisk Yawning Man would go on their first ever tour that June in support of Rock Formations but Billy Cordell would take Mario Lalli's place on bass as Mario had moved and was unable to perform the tour or recordings on the next EP. In an interview with Stonerrock.com, Arce explains Cordell joining that summer: On 26 June 2005, Pot Head would be released on Alone Records, featuring four songs and a slightly darker and heavier tone throughout. Yawning Man would follow into the next February/March with a more extensive European tour, a seventeen-date jaunt through Germany, Switzerland and Belgium. Yawning Man would also tour throughout Europe once again in 2008, mainly performing at the Azkena Rock Festival and with Mario Lalli back on bass. In 2007, Yawning Man was to release a collection of past material on a double CD known as The Birth of Sol Music. It was to be a collection of 30 older songs from the late '80s with an extensive booklet including information about the band and the whole Palm Desert connection. According to band member Gary Arce, this release had been postponed indefinitely. In 2009, The Birth of Sol Music (The Demo Tapes) was released on iTunes as a two-disc set containing 24 songs. 2009 would only see a handful of shows as Arce and Lalli would collaborate with British band Sons of Alpha Centauri to form Yawning Sons, whose only studio album Ceremony to the Sunset on 23 July 2009 via Lexicon Devil. Nomadic Pursuits and Historical Graffiti (2010 - 2017) In the downtime from performing, the trio of Hernández, Lalli and Arce would begin work on a second album. With seven new songs, Nomadic Pursuits would be released on 22 June 2010 via Cobraside Distribution. Nomadic Pursuits would attain positive critical acclaim,Sputnik MusicHeavy PlanetThe Obelisk reaching #9 on The Obelisk Top 20 of 2010.The Obelisk Yawning Man would tour Europe that year in support of the album, which included appearances at Hellfest and Stoned From The Underground. In an interview with The Aquarian, Arce explains the process of making Nomadic Pursuits and the 2010 tour: Yawning Man would return to Europe that next June with the lineup of Arce, Lalli and new drummer Bill Stinson. This two-week tour with Blaak Heat Shujaa also included shared dates with Karma To Burn and began with an appearance at Duna Jam.Last.fm Billy Cordell and Greg Seanz would take over in the rhythm section around 2012 but no information of the band touring or performing that year is available. The next year the original lineup would tour with Fatso Jetson for the Legends of The Desert tour which included marquee appearances at DesertFest London and DesertFest Berlin. Both bands also released a split LP together for the tour on 26 April 2013. Stinson would rejoin as drummer in line for a 2014 European tour through August and September. Work would also begin on a new record. The next year would see a second Legends of the Desert tour with Fatso Jetson through February 2015. In one of their busiest touring years yet the band also made appearances in South America for the first time and toured Europe again later that summer, though it'd be partially canceled. A live album of the band's performance at Maximum Festival would also be released in 2015. After a six-year gap and recorded in a single evening at at Ion Studio in Buenos Aires, Historical Graffiti would be released on 18 August 2016 to positive critical acclaim from the likes of The Obelisk,The Obelisk Echoes and Dust,Echoes and Dust Sputnik Music,Sputnik Music The SludgelordThe Sludgelord and Outlaws of The Sun.Outlaws of The Sun The trio would return to Europe for a 26-day tour, including appearances at Up in Smoke Festival, Berlin Swamp Fest, Villa Pace and Reverence Festival. 2017 would see a string of shows throughout March supporting Greenleaf and Truckfighters in what would be the band's first ever North American tour, 31 years after their formation. A tour of Europe would follow along with an appearance at Psycho Las Vegas and a 28-date North American tour and a mini-tour of Europe to close out one of the band's most extensive touring years. Work would also begin on a fourth studio album. The Revolt Against Tired Noises and Macedonian Lines (2018 - Present) Yawning Man's first notable appearance of 2018 would see them perform in the desert at Stoned and Dusted, also featuring a guest spot by Brant Bjork on drums. On 18 May the band would announce their fourth album was set for a 6 July release along with a European tour in support.The Obelisk The Revolt Against Tired Noises would be released on 6 July via Heavy Psych Sounds to widespread critical acclaim from the likes of The Obelisk,The Obelisk Ghost Cult Magazine,Ghost Cult Magazine Echoes and Dust,Echoes and Dust More Fuzz,More Fuzz The Sludgelord,The Sludgelord Sputnik MusicSputnik Music and Outlaws of The SunOutlaws of The Sun among others. Notably it's also the first Yawning Man studio album to feature vocals, with Mario contributing to two tracks. This would include "Catamaran" as covered by Kyuss. Following a string of California shows supporting Dead Meadow, Yawning Man would embark on a seven-week European tour in support of The Revolt Against Tired Noises and also release The Birth of Sol on double cassette and double LP in support. The trio would go into 2019 on a month-long North American tour with Mondo Generator and Freedom Hawk. On 10 April 2019 Yawning Man would confirm a follow-up album was set for a June release via Heavy Psych Sounds with pre-orders and further details set for 16 April. Yawning Man would confirm the name of the album as Macedonian Lines on their Facebook.The Obelisk Macedonian Lines would attain positive reception among the stoner and desert communities as the band toured Europe in support of the record. That August, Yawning Man would announce they would be touring Australia for the first time in 2020. Discography Studio Albums *'Rock Formations' (2005, Alone Records) *'Nomadic Pursuits' (2010, Cobraside Distribution) *'Historical Graffiti' (2016, Lay Bare Recordings) *'The Revolt Against Tired Noises' (2018, Heavy Psych Sounds) *'Macedonian Lines' (2019, Heavy Psych Sounds) Other Releases *'Pot Head' (EP) (2005, Alone Records) *'Vista Point' (Compilation) (2007, Lexicon Devil) *'The Birth of Sol' (Compilation) (2009, Cobraside Distibution) *'Yawning Man & Fatso Jetson' (Split with Fatso Jetson) (2013, Self-Released) *'Live at Maximum Festival' (Live Album) (2015, Go Down) Personnel Current members *'Gary Arce' - guitar (1986 - Present) *'Mario Lalli' - bass (1986 - 2005, 2008 - Present) *'Bill Stinson' - drums (2011, 2014 - Present) Former members *'Alfredo Hernández' - Drums, Percussion (1986 - 2010, 2013) *'Larry Lalli' - Guitar, Bass (1986 - ?) *'Billy Cordell' - bass (2005 - 2006, 2012) *'Greg Saenz' - drums (2012, 2018) *'Justine Ruiz' - Guitar, Bass (2016) *'Zach Slater' - Live Bass (2010) *'Brant Bjork' - Live Drums (2018) *'Randy Reantaso' - Percussion *'Jerrod Elliott' - Percussion (Deceased) List of Known Tours *NOTE: This is only a partial list. More details will be added when or if it can be found. Also it should be noted Yawning Man did not begin touring until 2005. *'California Mini-Tour' (With Brant Bjork) (2003)Duna Records via Wayback Machine *'Rock Formations European Tour' (2005) *'Rock Formations 2006 European Tour' (2006) *'2008 European Tour' (2008)/ Yawning Man Facebook *'2010 European Tour' (2010)/ Yawning Man via Wayback Machine *'2011 European Tour' (With Blaak Heat Shujaa) (2011)The Obelisk *'Legends of the Desert' (With Fatso Jetson) (2013) *'Sunset Summer Tour' (2014; Partially Canceled)The Obelisk *'Legends of The Desert Volume II' (With Fatso Jetson) (2015)The Obelisk *'2015 South American Tour' (2015)Sounds and Colours *'Historical Graffiti European Tour' (2016)Yawning Man Facebook *'East to West U.S. Tour March 2017' (Greenleaf intended but dropped off) (2017)Yawning Man Facebook *'Historical Graffiti Spring North American Tour' (With Truckfighters) (2017)The ObeliskYawning Man Facebook *'Historical Graffiti 2017 European Tour' (2017) *'Historical Graffiti Fall North American Tour' (With We Are The Asteroid, Alex Perez and The Rising Tide) (2017)The Obelisk *'December 2017 European Shows' (2017)Yawning Man Facebook *'The Revolt Against Tired Noises European Tour' (2018)The Obelisk *'The Revolt Against Tired Noises North American Tour' (With Mondo Generator, Freedom Hawk) (2019) *'Macedonian Lines European Tour' (2019) *'Macedonian Lines South American Tour' (2019) *'2020 Australian Tour' (Select dates with Numidia) (2020)Yawning Man Facebook External Links Official Links *Official Website *Facebook *Bandcamp *Instagram */ Yawning Man via Live Music Archive Archival Material *Gallery Show *2010 Interview with Gary Arce via The Obelisk *2012 Interview with Gary Arce via The Obelisk *Archived Homepage *Archived shows *Biography via Wayback Machine *News via Wayback Machine *2005 Interview via Stonerrock.com *Interview via Cyclic Defrost References Category:Band Category:Yawning Man Category:Desert Rock Category:Psychedelic Rock Category:Palm Desert Category:La Quinta Category:California Category:Experimental Rock Category:Gary Arce Category:Mario Lalli Category:Alfredo Hernandez Category:Larry Lalli Category:Bill Stinson Category:Heavy Psych Sounds Category:1986